TEHRAN – Israeli media have reported that roughly 3.2 million Israelis are living without adequate protection from missiles and drones, raising concerns about settler safety across areas controlled by the occupation regime. 

According to Hebrew media, the figures were revealed during an emergency meeting in the Knesset, where officials and local authorities warned that large segments of the population lack access to standard fortified shelters.

This comes amid relentless daily Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting military sites that are embedded in settler communities and neighborhoods. The Lebanese Hezbollah has also opened a military front launching daily drone and missile salvos. 

The emergency session was reportedly held jointly by the Knesset’s State Control Committee and the Committee for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee. The meeting focused on the readiness of the “civilian home front” in the event of continued attacks.

Opening the discussion, Knesset member Alon Schuster, who chairs the State Control Committee, warned that the home front has effectively become a battlefield. Schuster said that although the population continues to face missile and drone threats, hundreds of thousands of settlers remain exposed and without adequate protection. 

Hebrew media reported that the data presented during the session was based on findings from the report of the Israeli regime’s comptroller. According to the information discussed, the gap in “civilian protection” has grown by about 5.6 percent since 2018. 

Officials said this means millions of people living under the rule of the Zionist regime do not have access to standard reinforced shelters or protected rooms.

Hebrew reports also raised serious concerns about safety in schools. It indicated that around a quarter of students study in educational institutions that lack proper fortification, leaving children potentially vulnerable during missile alerts or attacks.

Conditions appear to be especially serious in the northern regions controlled by the regime. Officials said that in communities located within about nine kilometers of the northern Lebanese border, roughly one-fifth of residents remain without proper protection. This has heightened concerns as tensions continue along the regime’s northern front.

During the debate, Hebrew media reported that several lawmakers criticized what they described as long-term neglect by the authorities. 

Knesset member Oded Forer strongly attacked the priorities of the Benjamin Netanyahu government, arguing that resources have not been directed toward the protection of settlers. 

He said that instead of investing more in fortifying homes and public buildings, billions of shekels were spent on imports from different countries. According to Forer, the failure to improve protection infrastructure represents “negligence toward human lives”. 

Local officials attending the session also warned that bureaucracy and funding shortages have prevented many settler communities from strengthening their defenses. 

Avihu Han, the deputy mayor of Haifa, said the situation in his city is particularly alarming. He explained that Israelis may sometimes have as little as one minute of warning before incoming missiles, yet about 40 percent of the population does not have a nearby shelter or fortified space to reach in time.

Similar concerns were raised by Michael Kabesa, head of the local council in Hatzor HaGlilit. Kabesa warned that the town is effectively “sitting on a powder keg,” facing the ongoing security threats, while much of its infrastructure remains insufficiently protected.

The discussion also highlighted what participants described as severe neglect of Bedouin communities under the authority of the Zionist regime. According to figures reportedly presented during the meeting, out of approximately 11,000 buildings in Bedouin areas, only 37 have reinforced protection, leaving the vast majority of residents without shelters.

Officials from the occupation regime’s so-called Ministry of Defense and the Home Front Command acknowledged that funding for programs aimed at strengthening civilian defenses, such as the “Northern Shield” initiative, has been limited over the years.

A representative of the regime’s Ministry of Finance told the committee that Israel has prepared a broader plan worth about five billion shekels to address the problem. However, local authorities argued that in reality much of the money does not reach communities on the ground. 

They also said complicated bureaucratic procedures often prevent Israelis from independently reinforcing their homes.

The session ended with lawmakers calling on the government to remove budgetary barriers and allow retroactive financial support for residents who build fortified rooms at their own expense.

Knesset member Yorai Lahav?Hertzanu of the Yesh Atid party said the issue reflects deeper policy failures. According to him, the problem is not only financial but also political, arguing that current policies of the regime disproportionately neglect weaker and more vulnerable communities.